Hoops Rumors Originals

Checking In On NBA’s Top Remaining Free Agents

Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in place at the start of the 2022/23 league year lifts at 11:01 am Central time on July 6, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.

However, within the last 40-ish hours, 40 of the players from our list of 2022’s top 50 free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.

[RELATED: 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

While those are just tentative agreements and could still fall apart, that usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in a given offseason, so it’s safe to pencil those deals in for the time being and assume those free agents are off the board.

So who does that leave? As of Saturday morning, here are the top free agents from our top-50 list (which was last updated on Tuesday) who have yet to agree to new deals:

  1. James Harden, G, Sixers
  2. Deandre Ayton, C, Suns (RFA)
  3. Miles Bridges, F, Hornets (RFA)
  4. Collin Sexton, G, Cavaliers (RFA)
  5. Cody Martin, F, Hornets (RFA)
  6. Caleb Martin, F, Heat (RFA)
  7. Dennis Schröder, G, Rockets
  8. Montrezl Harrell, C, Hornets
  9. Jordan Nwora, F, Bucks (RFA)
  10. T.J. Warren, F, Pacers

Four of our top nine free agents remain on the board, but there are a couple caveats worth considering here. Harden, for instance, is widely expected to remain with the Sixers — it’s just a matter of the two sides figuring out how many years and dollars he’ll get. The two sides are reportedly meeting this weekend to negotiate his new contract.

Bridges’ on-court contributions made him one of our top free agents of this offseason when we published our initial list, but if we were re-ranking the available players today, he would plummet. After being arrested following allegations of felony domestic violence, Bridges was formally charged on Friday, per the Los Angeles Police Department (story via ESPN), and his NBA future is very much up in the air.

Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer wrote on Friday that a long-term deal for Bridges, which appeared to be a formality a few days ago, now appears very unlikely. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link) has sources who believe the Hornets will pull their $7.9MM qualifying offer to Bridges, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 24-year-old is toxic right now, and for good reason.

Of the eight other players listed above, four are restricted free agents, which will reduce their leverage to negotiate favorable multiyear terms, at least to some extent. However, Ayton, in particular, still seems like a good bet to land a lucrative long-term contract.

His situation may be tied to the Kevin Durant trade market — if the Suns can acquire Durant, Ayton could be a key part of the outgoing package in a sign-and-trade, either to Brooklyn or a third team. The Jazz and Pacers are among the teams that have been linked to the former No. 1 overall pick.

It remains unclear which teams might try to force the Cavaliers‘ hand on Sexton. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), Cleveland still has about $15MM in breathing room below the luxury tax line. It’s possible the club will be able to bring back Sexton and stay out of the tax if no rival suitors with cap room are prepared to pursue the 23-year-old guard.

Harrell has his own legal issues to deal with, though the marijuana charges he’s facing will presumably be viewed by teams as far less troublesome as Bridges’ charges.

Warren, meanwhile, is a bit of a wild card. On merit alone, he would’ve ranked much higher on our initial list, but the fact that he has essentially missed two full seasons due to injuries made me wary of placing him too high — it seems as though his lengthy layoff may be giving potential suitors pause as well.

The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top-50 list and aren’t yet spoken for:

Here are our full lists of free agents by position/type and by team.

NBA 2022 Free Agency: Day 2 Recap

The rate of the contract agreements reported on the second day of the NBA’s free agent period slowed down a little after a fast-paced first day on Thursday. Still, we saw another 20-plus free agents come off the board, including one who became the second free agent to receive a maximum-salary commitment this summer.

[RELATED: 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

It was also an eventful day in non-free agent NBA news, with a three-time Defensive Player of the Year headlining a blockbuster trade agreement and a former No. 1 overall pick nearing a maximum-salary contract extension.

Listed below are the highlights from around the NBA on Friday.


Free agent agreements:

These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on July 6.

Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Zach LaVine, Bulls agree to five-year, $215.16MM (maximum-salary) contract.
  2. Jusuf Nurkic, Trail Blazers agree to four-year, $70MM contract.
  3. Mitchell Robinson, Knicks agree to four-year, $60MM contract.
  4. Kevon Looney, Warriors agree to three-year, $25.5MM contract.
  5. Ricky Rubio, Cavaliers agree to three-year, $18.4MM contract.
  6. John Wall, Clippers agree to two-year, $13.2MM contract.
  7. Bruce Brown, Nuggets agree to two-year, $13MM contract.
  8. Danilo Gallinari, Celtics agree to two-year, $13MM contract.
  9. Jalen Smith, Pacers agree to two-year, $9.6MM contract.
  10. Donte DiVincenzo, Warriors agree to two-year, $9.3MM contract.
  11. Derrick Jones, Bulls agree to two-year, $6.6MM contract.
  12. Bryn Forbes, Timberwolves agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  13. Aaron Holiday, Hawks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  14. Damion Lee, Suns agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  15. Robin Lopez, Cavaliers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  16. Raul Neto, Cavaliers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  17. Bol Bol, Magic agree to two-year contract.
  18. Luke Kornet, Celtics agree to two-year contract.
  19. Otto Porter, Raptors agree to two-year contract.
  20. Drew Eubanks, Trail Blazers agree to one-year contract.
  21. Theo Pinson, Mavericks agree to one-year contract.

Trades:

  1. Jazz agree to trade Rudy Gobert to Timberwolves for five players, four first-round picks (three unprotected), and a pick swap.
  2. Pacers agree to trade Malcolm Brogdon to Celtics for five players – including Daniel Theis and Aaron Nesmith – and a 2023 first-round pick (top-12 protected).
  3. Hawks agree to trade Kevin Huerter to Kings for Justin Holiday, Maurice Harkless, and a 2024 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

Other news:

  1. Zion Williamson, Pelicans nearing five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension (expected to include protections related to games played and/or injury).
  2. The Nets are reportedly seeking a “historic haul” for Kevin Durant. Here are the latest rumors.
  3. Nemanja Bjelica agrees to sign two-year, $4MM contract with Turkish team Fenerbahce.

Previously:

Rookie Scale Salaries For 2022 NBA First-Round Picks

With the NBA’s salary cap set at $123,655,000 for the 2022/23 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.

In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.

While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.

Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2022’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2022/23, it will be for the amount below unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If that happens, we’ll adjust their amounts below.

These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2022/23. If a player doesn’t sign an NBA contract this year, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons.

Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Here’s the 2022 breakdown, via Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom:

Player 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 Total
Paolo Banchero $11,055,120 $11,608,080 $12,160,800 $15,334,769 $50,158,769
Chet Holmgren $9,891,240 $10,386,000 $10,880,640 $13,731,368 $44,889,248
Jabari Smith $8,882,640 $9,326,520 $9,770,880 $12,350,392 $40,330,432
Keegan Murray $8,008,440 $8,409,000 $8,809,560 $11,144,093 $36,371,093
Jaden Ivey $7,252,200 $7,614,480 $7,977,240 $10,107,163 $32,951,083
Bennedict Mathurin $6,586,800 $6,916,080 $7,245,720 $9,187,573 $29,936,173
Shaedon Sharpe $6,012,960 $6,313,800 $6,614,160 $8,399,983 $27,340,903
Dyson Daniels $5,508,600 $5,784,120 $6,059,520 $7,707,709 $25,059,949
Jeremy Sochan $5,063,520 $5,316,960 $5,570,040 $7,096,231 $23,046,751
Johnny Davis $4,810,320 $5,050,800 $5,291,160 $6,746,229 $21,898,509
Ousmane Dieng $4,569,840 $4,798,440 $5,027,040 $6,670,882 $21,166,202
Jalen Williams $4,341,480 $4,558,680 $4,775,760 $6,580,997 $20,256,917
Jalen Duren $4,124,280 $4,330,680 $4,536,840 $6,483,144 $19,474,944
Ochai Agbaji $3,918,360 $4,114,200 $4,310,280 $6,383,525 $18,726,365
Mark Williams $3,722,040 $3,908,160 $4,094,280 $6,276,531 $18,001,011
AJ Griffin $3,536,180 $3,712,920 $3,889,920 $5,967,137 $17,106,157
Tari Eason $3,359,160 $3,527,160 $3,695,160 $5,675,766 $16,257,246
Dalen Terry $3,191,400 $3,350,760 $3,510,480 $5,399,118 $15,451,758
Jake LaRavia $3,047,640 $3,199,920 $3,352,680 $5,163,127 $14,763,367
Malaki Branham $2,925,600 $3,071,880 $3,217,920 $4,962,033 $14,177,433
Christian Braun $2,808,600 $2,949,120 $3,089,640 $4,921,797 $13,769,157
Walker Kessler $2,696,400 $2,831,160 $2,965,920 $4,878,938 $13,372,418
David Roddy $2,588,640 $2,718,240 $2,847,240 $4,831,766 $12,985,886
MarJon Beauchamp $2,420,400 $2,609,400 $2,733,720 $4,781,276 $12,544,796
Blake Wesley $2,385,480 $2,504,640 $2,624,280 $4,726,328 $12,240,728
Wendell Moore $2,306,520 $2,421,720 $2,537,040 $4,574,283 $11,839,563
Nikola Jovic $2,239,920 $2,352,000 $2,464,200 $4,445,417 $11,501,537
Patrick Baldwin $2,226,000 $2,337,720 $2,448,840 $4,420,156 $11,432,716
TyTy Washington $2,210,040 $2,320,440 $2,431,080 $4,388,099 $11,349,659
Peyton Watson $2,193,960 $2,303,520 $2,413,560 $4,356,476 $11,267,516

NBA Minimum Salaries For 2022/23

An NBA team that has spent all its cap space and doesn’t have any of its mid-level or bi-annual exception available still always has the ability to sign a player to a minimum-salary contract, unless that club is right up against its hard cap.

Teams with cap room or with access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception will have a little more flexibility to sign players to longer-term minimum-salary contracts. However, teams without cap room and without any other exceptions on hand can still use the minimum salary exception to add as many players as roster limits and the hard cap allow, for contracts of up to two years. Unlike other exceptions, such as the mid-level or the bi-annual, the minimum salary exception can be used multiple times.

[RELATED: Values of 2022/23 mid-level, bi-annual exceptions]

Undrafted free agents and second-round picks are often recipients of minimum-salary contracts, but there are plenty of veterans who end up settling for the minimum too. Because a player’s minimum salary is determined by how much NBA experience he has, many veterans will earn more than twice as much money as a rookie will in 2022/23 on a minimum-salary contract.

Listed below are 2022/23’s minimum salary figures, sorted by years of NBA experience. If a player spent any time on an NBA club’s active regular season roster in a given season, he earned one year of experience. So any player with zero years of experience has not yet made his NBA debut.

These figures represent a 10% increase on last season’s figures, since that’s the amount of the NBA’s salary cap increase for 2022/23.

Here’s the full breakdown:

Years of Experience Salary
0 $1,017,781
1 $1,637,966
2 $1,836,090
3 $1,902,133
4 $1,968,175
5 $2,133,278
6 $2,298,385
7 $2,463,490
8 $2,628,597
9 $2,641,682
10+ $2,905,851

Because the NBA doesn’t want teams to avoid signing veteran players in favor of cheaper, younger players, the league reimburses clubs who sign veterans with three or more years of experience to one-year, minimum-salary contracts. Those deals will only count against the cap – and against a team’s bank balance – for $1,836,090, the minimum salary for a player with two years of experience.

For instance, DeAndre Jordan, who has 14 seasons of NBA experience, has signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Nuggets, who will only be charged $1,836,090 for Jordan’s contract. He’ll earn $2,905,851, but the NBA will make up the difference. This only applies to one-year contracts, rather than multiyear deals.

If a player signs a minimum-salary contract after the regular season begins, he’ll earn a prorated portion of the amount listed above.

Those figures listed above also only apply to players who are signing new contracts in 2022/23. Players who are in the second, third, or fourth year of a minimum-salary deal will be earning a slightly different predetermined amount.

For example, a player like Knicks guard Miles McBride – who signed a minimum-salary contract last offseason and now has one year of NBA experience – will earn a $1,563,518 salary in the second year of his contract, shy of the $1,637,966 he would receive if he were signing a new minimum deal this fall. That’s because his second-year salary is based on a 5% raise over last season’s minimum salary for a player with one year of experience, whereas the cap rose by 10%.

Here’s what multiyear minimum-salary contracts signed in 2022/23 will look like:

Experience
2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26
0 $1,017,781 $1,719,864 $2,019,699 $2,187,451
1 $1,637,966 $1,927,896 $2,092,344 $2,263,403
2 $1,836,090 $1,997,238 $2,164,993 $2,453,270
3 $1,902,133 $2,066,585 $2,346,606 $2,643,140
4 $1,968,175 $2,239,943 $2,528,221 $2,833,013
5 $2,133,278 $2,413,304 $2,709,839 $3,022,889
6 $2,298,385 $2,586,665 $2,891,458 $3,037,934
7 $2,463,490 $2,760,026 $2,905,850 $3,341,730
8 $2,628,597 $2,773,765 $3,196,438 $3,341,730
9 $2,641,682 $3,051,144 $3,196,438 $3,341,730
10+ $2,905,851 $3,051,144 $3,196,438 $3,341,730

Technically, a minimum-salary contract could cover five years for a player with full Bird rights, but in actuality, that never happens. While some second-round picks and undrafted free agents will sign three- or four-year minimum-salary contracts, a minimum deal exceeding two years is rare for a player with more than a year or two of NBA experience under his belt.


Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

NBA Maximum Salaries For 2022/23

Now that the NBA has set its salary cap for the 2022/23 league year at $123,655,000, we have a clear idea of what maximum-salary contracts will look like for the coming season.

Listed below are the maximum-salary contracts for players signing contracts that start in 2022/23.

The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.

These figures will apply to a number of players who signed maximum-salary contract extensions that will go into effect in 2022/23: Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr. They’ll also apply to anyone who signs a maximum-salary contract as a free agent this offseason — Bradley Beal, for instance.

A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players.

In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum contracts for players like Gilgeous-Alexander and Porter, as well as what a free agent like Deandre Ayton is eligible for; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like Zach LaVine and to players who qualified for a Rose Rule rookie scale extension, such as Doncic and Young; and the “10+ years” column applies to the league’s most experienced vets, including Beal, or those who qualified for the super-max.

Here are the maximum salary figures for 2022/23:


A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2022/23 $30,913,750 $37,096,500 $43,279,250
2023/24 $33,386,850 $40,064,220 $46,741,590
2024/25 $35,859,950 $43,031,940 $50,203,930
2025/26 $38,333,050 $45,999,660 $53,666,270
2026/27 $40,806,150 $48,967,380 $57,128,610
Total $179,299,750 $215,159,700 $251,019,650

A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2022/23 $30,913,750 $37,096,500 $43,279,250
2023/24 $32,459,438 $38,951,325 $45,443,213
2024/25 $34,005,126 $40,806,150 $47,607,176
2025/26 $35,550,814 $42,660,975 $49,771,139
Total $132,929,128 $159,514,950 $186,100,778

It’s worth noting that none of the maximum-salary figures listed above will apply to extension-eligible players whose new contracts will start in 2023/24.

This group includes players like Nikola Jokic and Ja Morant, who are on track to sign max extensions with the Nuggets and Grizzlies, respectively. It also includes players who signed maximum-salary extensions in previous years that will begin in ’23/24, including Joel Embiid.

The exact value of those players’ contracts will depend on where the cap lands for 2023/24. The NBA has announced that the cap for ’23/24 is projected to come in at $133MM, but there’s plenty of time for that estimate to fluctuate between now and next summer.

Values Of 2022/23 Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Exceptions

The salary cap for the 2022/23 NBA league year has officially been set, with the league announcing that the cap will be $123,655,000, a 10% increase on last year’s number.

Under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of the mid-level, room, and bi-annual exceptions are tied to the percentage that the salary cap shifts in a given year. Because the cap figure for 2022/23 increased by 10%, the values of the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions will increase by the same amount.

Listed below are the maximum annual and total values of each of these exceptions, along with a brief explanation of how they work and which teams will have access to them.


Mid-Level Exception (Non-Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2022/23 $10,490,000
2023/24 $11,014,500
2024/25 $11,539,000
2025/26 $12,063,500
Total $45,107,000

The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is the primary tool available for over-the-cap teams to add free agents. As long as a team hasn’t dipped below the cap to use cap space and doesn’t go over the tax apron ($156.98MM) at all, it can use this MLE, which runs for up to four years with 5% annual raises.


Mid-Level Exception (Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2022/23 $6,479,000
2023/24 $6,802,950
2024/25 $7,126,900
Total $20,408,850

If an over-the-cap team currently projects to be a taxpayer or expects to move into tax territory later in the 2022/23 season, it will have access to this smaller mid-level exception for taxpaying teams.

If a team uses more than $6,479,000 of its mid-level exception, it is forbidden from surpassing the tax apron at any time during the league year. So even if a team isn’t above the apron when it uses its MLE, it might make sense to play it safe by avoiding using the full MLE and imposing a hard cap.

The taxpayer MLE can be used to sign a player for up to three years, with 5% annual raises.


Room Exception:

Year Salary
2022/23 $5,401,000
2023/24 $5,671,050
Total $11,072,050

Although this is also a mid-level exception of sorts, it’s colloquially known as the “room” exception, since it’s only available to teams that go below the cap and use their cap room.

If a club goes under the cap, it loses its full mid-level exception, but gets this smaller room exception, which allows the team to go over the cap to sign a player once the team has used up all its cap space. It can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise for the second season.


Bi-Annual Exception:

Year Salary
2022/23 $4,105,000
2023/24 $4,310,250
Total $8,415,250

The bi-annual exception, as its name suggests, is only available to teams once every two years. Of the NBA’s 30 clubs, only two – the Mavericks and Bullsused it in 2021/22, so they won’t have access to it in 2022/23. The league’s other 28 teams could theoretically use it this season.

Still, even if a team didn’t use its BAE in ’21/22, that club doesn’t necessarily have access to it for the coming year. As is the case with the non-taxpayer MLE, this exception disappears once a team goes under the cap to use room. It’s also not available to teams over the tax apron — using the BAE creates a hard cap at the apron.

The BAE can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one.


Note: Be sure to check out our Hoops Rumors Glossary for more information on the mid-level exception and the bi-annual exception.

NBA 2022 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

It was a very busy first day of NBA free agency on Thursday. By our count, a total of 38 free agents have agreed to new deals since the negotiating period officially began at 5:00 pm CT, while seven more players either signed or agreed to contract extensions.

However, all of those deals were overshadowed by the drama in Brooklyn, where Kevin Durant reportedly asked the Nets to trade him. With Durant’s situation unresolved, we could be in for some serious fireworks in the coming days.

In the meantime, listed below are all the free agent agreements, contract extensions, trades, and other notable news items from the first day of free agency.


Free agent agreements:

These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on July 6.

Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Bradley Beal, Wizards agree to five-year, $251.02MM (maximum-salary) contract.
  2. Jalen Brunson, Knicks agree to four-year, $104MM contract.
  3. Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers agree to four-year, $100MM contract.
  4. Luguentz Dort, Thunder agree to five-year, $87.5MM contract.
  5. Bobby Portis, Bucks agree to four-year, $48.58MM contract.
  6. Marvin Bagley III, Pistons agree to three-year, $37MM contract.
  7. Chris Boucher, Raptors agree to three-year, $35.25MM contract.
  8. P.J. Tucker, Sixers agree to three-year, $33.04MM contract.
  9. Tyus Jones, Grizzlies agree to two-year, $30MM contract.
  10. Gary Payton II, Trail Blazers finalizing three-year, $28MM contract.
  11. Jae’Sean Tate, Rockets agree to three-year, $22.1MM contract.
  12. Nicolas Batum, Clippers agree to two-year, $22MM contract.
  13. Mohamed Bamba, Magic agree to two-year, $21MM contract.
  14. JaVale McGee, Mavericks agree to three-year, $20.1MM contract.
  15. Nic Claxton, Nets agree to two-year, $20MM contract.
  16. Malik Monk, Kings agree to two-year, $19MM contract.
  17. Kyle Anderson, Timberwolves agree to two-year, $18MM contract.
  18. Isaiah Hartenstein, Knicks agree to two-year, $16.7MM contract.
  19. Delon Wright, Wizards agree to two-year, $16MM contract.
  20. Patty Mills, Nets agree to two-year, $14.49MM contract.
  21. Victor Oladipo, Heat agree to one-year, $11MM contract.
  22. Amir Coffey, Clippers agree to three-year, $11MM contract.
  23. Dewayne Dedmon, Heat agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
  24. Danuel House, Sixers agree to two-year, $8.42MM contract.
  25. Andre Drummond, Bulls agree to two-year, $6.6MM contract.
  26. Joe Ingles, Bucks agree to one-year, $6.48MM contract.
  27. Lonnie Walker, Lakers agree to one-year, $6.48MM contract.
  28. Kevin Knox, Pistons agree to two-year, $6MM contract.
  29. Jevon Carter, Bucks agree to two-year, $4.6MM contract.
  30. Damian Jones, Lakers agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  31. Trevelin Queen, Sixers agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  32. Troy Brown, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  33. DeAndre Jordan, Nuggets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  34. Mike Muscala, Thunder agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  35. Juan Toscano-Anderson, Lakers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  36. Anthony Gill, Wizards agree to two-year contract.
  37. Davon Reed, Nuggets agree to two-year contract.
  38. Wesley Matthews, Bucks agree to one-year contract.

Contract extensions:

  1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets agree to five-year, super-max veteran extension.
  2. Devin Booker, Suns agree to four-year, super-max veteran extension.
  3. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves agree to four-year, super-max veteran extension.
  4. Ja Morant, Grizzlies agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
  5. Gary Harris, Magic officially complete two-year, $26MM veteran extension.
  6. Taurean Prince, Timberwolves officially complete two-year, $16MM veteran extension.
  7. Thaddeus Young, Raptors officially complete two-year, $16MM veteran extension.

Trades:

  1. The Jazz traded Royce O’Neale to the Nets in exchange for either the Rockets’, Nets’, or Sixers’ 2023 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  2. The Hawks and Spurs officially completed their trade sending Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale to Atlanta for Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap. Gallinari is expected to be waived.

Other news:

  1. The Pistons and Kemba Walker are finalizing a buyout agreement.
  2. The Jazz waived Juancho Hernangomez.
  3. Former Sixers head coach Brett Brown rejoined Gregg Popovich‘s Spurs staff as an assistant.

As active as the first day of free agency was, several of this year’s top free agents don’t yet have deals in place, including Zach LaVine, James Harden, and Deandre Ayton. Our full free agent list is here.

Hoops Rumors’ 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker

With free agency officially underway and news of contract agreements breaking left and right, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Early in free agency, most of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker, in order to avoid any confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2022 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

2022 NBA Free Agency Primer

The NBA’s 2022 free agency period officially begins on Thursday at 5:00 pm central time. At that point, we can expect news of contract agreements to start pouring in, continuing well into the night.

By our count, a staggering 56 free agents agreed to deals on day one of free agency in 2021 — we’ll see if that number is matched later today.

Here are a few links to prepare for you one of the most exciting days on the NBA calendar:

2022 NBA Qualifying Offer Recap

Players eligible for restricted free agency don’t become restricted free agents by default. In order for a team to make a player a restricted free agent, it must extend a qualifying offer to him. The qualifying offer, which is essentially just a one-year contract offer, varies in amount depending on a player’s previous contract status.

A qualifying offer is designed to give a player’s current team the right of first refusal. Because the qualifying offer acts as the first formal contract offer a free agent receives, his team then has the option to match any offer sheet the player signs with another club. If a player doesn’t receive a qualifying offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team — his previous club is given no formal opportunity to match.

You can read more about qualifying offers here.

Listed below are the details on which players did and didn’t receive qualifying offers this summer. Our list is based on various reports and team announcements leading up to the June 29 deadline, along with confirmation from RealGM’s official NBA transactions log.

It’s possible that one or two qualifying offers slipped through the cracks and will be reported later today before free agency officially gets underway — if so, we’ll update this list.

For now though, this is what the qualifying offer landscape looks like. The players who received QOs will be restricted free agents, while the players who didn’t will be unrestricted.


Received qualifying offers:

Players on standard contracts:

Note: Qualifying offers marked with an asterisk (*) are based on a projected $123,655,000 salary cap and would increase or decrease if the cap comes in higher or lower than that.

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Qualifying offers for two-way players are one-year, two-way contracts with a $50K guarantee unless otherwise indicated.


Did not receive qualifying offers:

Players on standard contracts:

Players on two-way contracts:

Note: Some of the players listed below may not have been eligible for a qualifying offer due to the limited time they spent on a two-way contract.